Nicodemus

John chapter 2, read from verse 24. John chapter 2 and verse 24. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men, and he did not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.

That's quite a thing. He knew all men and he knew he knows what's in man. Everyone in this gathering tonight, he knows you and he knows what's in you.

He knows your thoughts and he knows whether you're saved or whether you're lost, whether you're on the way to heaven or whether you're on the way to hell. He knows all things. And then we read about another man here, says there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, the ruler of the Jews.

The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water, the Word of God and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, you must be born again. Verse 9, Nicodemus answered and said unto him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness.

Verse 14, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

Now back to the Old Testament Numbers 21, Numbers 21 and we'll read from verse 5. And the people speak against God and against Moses, wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people that bit the people, and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and we said we have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee.

Pray unto thee, the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and put it upon a pole, and it come shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. Now the Lord will bless to us the reading of his precious Word.

We might read a little bit more a little later on. But when I think of this here portion of God's Word, and I think of my own background, I was raised in a Christian home where we read the Word of God every day, and we reverence the Word of God. And when we read the Word of God, we all got down on our knees, and my father would pray, and he'd pray for the family that they would all be reached and saved.

And I was brought up under the fear of God. And that is something wonderful to know, that a person is brought up under the fear of God's precious Word. And so I was just a little bit different than some.

Don't think that I'm saying that I was just a little bit better than somebody else in this world. I was just a little different than some others. I would never ever miss a gospel meeting.

I would never miss a prayer meeting. I would never miss a ministry meeting. I heard brethren speak on the tabernacle before I was saved, and all those different things that they spoke on from the Old Testament.

But you know what? I needed to be born again. I needed a new beginning. I needed a birth that comes from above.

And here's a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came from the highest court of Israel. And there is about 70 of these men, Sanhedrin men, that were observing the Lord Jesus. But Nicodemus is the only one that came forward to talk with the Lord Jesus.

And dear ones tonight, I wonder if there's a soul that would come forward to talk with the Lord Jesus. When I was thinking about our brother this afternoon when he was speaking about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and those that were asleep in Christ, that touched my heart this afternoon. You know those that are asleep in Christ, they had a happy life.

To be saved, dear ones tonight, in this meeting, that's a happy life to live. To be saved and know for sure you're going to be in heaven. To be born again, to know for sure that you have the new birth, that is a happy life.

And it isn't only a happy life, but it's a happy death. And dear ones tonight, it's not only a happy life and a happy death, but it's going to be a happy eternity. We're going to be with the Lord Jesus throughout the countless ages of eternity.

We're going to be changed. And dear ones, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could make your mouth water to know the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to know what this new birth is all about. Friend, tonight in this meeting, go in for it for might and me.

Because you do not have too long to think these matters over. We really believe, as we've been hearing today, that we can almost hear His footfall on the threshold of the door. At any moment, the Lord Jesus could give that shout.

And then we're going to be with Him and like Him throughout the countless ages of eternity. But dear ones tonight, I said as I was just a little different than some of the other young people, I wanted to be at all the meetings. You say, why did you want to be at those meetings? I feared the God of heaven.

If I wouldn't be there, I'd be cut off in my sins. And you know dear ones tonight, this is something that every one of us have to find out in this life. That we have all sinned.

That we have all come short of the glory of God. Here's a man, Nicodemus. That was quite a blow for Nicodemus to hear.

That he needed a birth that comes from above. But you know what? The Lord Jesus never said one thing about sin to Nicodemus until he comes to the point as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

He told him first what he needed. And dear ones, that's with every sinner in this world. Tell them what they need in order to get to heaven.

And then tell them the rest of the story. Mine, when I think of that tonight. How that the Lord Jesus worked with that man.

How He worked with a woman at the well. He says to that woman at the well, what you need is a gift of God. And dear ones, that's what we all need tonight.

We need the gift of God. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh what a day that was when I was reached and saved and found out my need for the Savior.

When I think of Adam and Eve as we heard a little about that today as well. Adam and Eve there in the garden. When Eve got to looking at that tree and she took of the tree.

She ate of the tree. It was a tree pleasant to the eye. A tree to be desired.

And dear ones, by looking at that tree, she finally took of the tree. And what happened? The moment Adam ate of that tree, their understanding, their eyes was open. And I say that was the only time that the whole world had their eyes open to the fact of their nakedness.

And dear ones, every one of us need that day in our life when our understanding is open. That we see that we have all sinned and that we have all come short of the glory of God. But you know what? They began this old fig leaves.

They began to cover themselves thinking this would be pretty good. And I can just see them both standing there looking at each other and all the fig leaves around them. But you know what dear ones? You cannot cover up sin.

No matter how hard you work in this life, you can never cover up sin. Sin has to come out in the open dear ones. When I think of that, and when I think of Adam to prove that it didn't cover up, then he began to hide himself behind the trees.

Finally he owned that he did eat of the tree. He finally said to God that I have sinned. And that's what the children of Israel said before God.

We have sinned. They murmured. They speak against God.

And dear ones, every one of us, we murmur and we speak against God. I'm no different than anybody else. Our brother mentioned that tonight in his speaking.

That he was no different. We all needed this salvation. We all needed salvation.

And that salvation alone is in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh dear ones, tonight, that's quite a thing when a person finds out his need for salvation. Like the prodigal son, he came to himself.

And where did he go? He went to the father. He says I have sinned. I have sinned against heaven.

No more worthy to be called thy son. But what did the father do? He saw him coming. And he put his arms around him.

Oh dear ones, tonight, if you would ever acknowledge before God that I'm just a poor, guilty sinner, deserving to be down in hell. And you tell the Lord all about that. Does the Lord know you want to be saved? Do you want to be saved tonight? Or are you going to put it off another day? God wants honesty.

He wants souls to come to Him. He wants you to be saved. He wants you to be in heaven.

When I think of the Lord Jesus, the love that He had for this world, we read there that grand verse, for God so loved the world. How do we know that God loved this world? God says it right here in His Word. That He loved the world.

That He gave His only begotten Son. How do we know He gave His Son? He tells us in His Word. How can we ever know we're saved? By taking God at His Word.

It's the Word of God, my friend, tonight that gives us the assurance of God's way of salvation. I'll never forget tonight, I was driving home from Parkersburg from some tent meetings, and a scripture came to me like this, for when we were yet without strength and due time, Christ died for the ungodly. And you know what? I actually pondered that verse a little bit.

I thought, who is the ungodly? And it came to me like this, well, I could never live to the standard of God, so I must be the ungodly one. And the moment I made that honest confession, that I could never live to the standard of God, God showed me right there, that's just exactly who He died for. And dear ones, tonight, there was joy that flooded my soul.

And you know, they used to tell us all the time, Christians on the way to heaven should be in before 11. Well, I'll tell you, that night, I started out telling people how I was reached and saved. And you know what? I haven't ceased to do that.

But that night, I got home at 2.30, and I went into that little bedroom, not the first time that I was ever down on my knees, but the first time that I was down on my knees to thank God that He died for an ungodly sinner like me. Boy, wouldn't it be wonderful if some soul could say that tonight for the first time. God, Christ died for the ungodly.

And I tell you, dear ones, I haven't ceased to thank Him for it. Oh, that we never forget the day. I think of dear Nicodemus here.

He says, how can these things be? How can a person be born into his mother's womb and be born over again? Total impossibility. And even if he would have, he'd been still born of the flesh. Oh, when we think of that, there's no way around it.

He needed a new birth. What an awakening for that dear man. From the highest court of Israel, and the Lord Jesus tells him, you need the new birth.

You need to be born again. Then as Moses lifted up that serpent in the wilderness. You know why Moses lifted up that serpent in the wilderness? Nicodemus, come on, tell me.

You mentioned that message many a time. And he finally had to acknowledge because of sin. Oh, that's one of the hardest things to acknowledge before a holy God, that I have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

I'm glad dear one, tonight, that I ever found out I was a sinner. I was thinking as our brother Mike was speaking tonight, and that verse there, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin. Isn't that wonderful that we have scriptures like that in the Word of God? How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, that He rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.

It's according to the Old Testament scripture, friend, tonight, in this meeting. How would you ever know your sins forgiven? By what God says in His precious Word. And don't rest on anything less, what God says in His precious Word.

When I think of Nicodemus there, and Nicodemus probably acknowledged right there, it was sin. And they were told to look to the brazen serpent. They came and told Moses to pray, to take away the serpents from them.

What good would that have done for those that were already bitten, but God made them better. He says, make a brazen serpent, put it upon a pole, and everyone that looks will live. You know, I used to think, I wish I had lived in that day.

That would have been real simple, just to look to that brazen serpent. Just look. But, listen to what the Word of God says, as Moses lifted up that serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of God be lifted up, the Son of Man be lifted up.

The Lord Jesus was going to be lifted up. And He is telling us tonight, to look to Him. Look unto Me and be a save, all the end of the world, for I am God, and there is none else.

But when you think of those back there in the Old Testament time there, it says, how would they ever know that just that look would work? You know what? The only thing they had to know that it would work, they had the authority of God's Word. Those that would look, would live. And everyone that looked, they had the proof that it worked.

In Stout, there was a series of gospel meetings one time, and there was several being reached and saved in that series of meetings. And there was a little boy, four years old, and he says, there was two or three girls that had been reached and saved, and he says, how come them girls are so happy? A little four-year-old boy could see that these girls had gotten saved because they were so happy. They were just filled with joy.

Isn't that wonderful? When a four-year-old child can see that some soul has been delivered. Think of those in the Old Testament time. Everyone that looked had the proof of it, that they were healed.

Would you take a look to the Savior tonight, and understand for the first time, why did the Lord Jesus have to die? Who did He die for? What did He die for? He died for our sins according to the Scriptures. And who did He die for? That's something that I found out. That He died just for me.

And I was reached and saved for time and for eternity. And you know, that night when I got saved, and I said about going out until 2.30 in the morning, telling people about being saved. And you know, I can't get around quite like I used to, but there's no more joy than to go out and tell somebody about the way of salvation.

I still enjoy it. Do you enjoy it? You know, this isn't something just for preachers. This is for all of us to go out into the world and tell people just exactly how they can be saved.

What a joy! Floods a person's soul when you see somebody passing from darkness into God marvelously. Now the Lord Jesus did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Now friend, tonight in this meeting, you might be saved, but you might not be saved.

Which is it going to be? Are you going to trust Him? As we've already been hearing about that one verse there in the Old Testament, Isaiah 53, verse 7. All we like sheep have gone astray. That's universal, dear ones, tonight. That takes in every one of us.

All we like sheep have gone astray. But the Lord hath, and we have gone our own way. We have turned to our own way.

That's universal. But the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Now they say, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Are you listening tonight? Listen to what that says. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned to our own way.

Now listen. And the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. That's finished.

That's a finished work. Can you take God at His word? Whether you believe it or not tonight, that the Lord Jesus died for our sins. Whether you believe it tonight, whether the Lord Jesus died for the ungodly.

It's true, whether you believe it or not. It's already true, my friend. Now what are you going to do with Him tonight, shall we pray?